Sins of the Father
by Wei Tzu
Summary: I'm really no one important, but we've all got a story. This is mine, and how I learned to cope with the past.
1. Welcome to the Academy

**Disclaimer: Anything recognizable goes to Mr. Oum. Original characters are mine.**

* * *

"Look! You can see Signal from up here!"

I chuckled a moment when I heard that. I looked in the direction the voice came from to see a younger red haired girl with a significantly taller and more muscled blonde. Longtime friends, I imagined. Still smiling, slightly, I looked back out the window across the open sky. 'Such a magnificent view,' I thought. 'Huh. I can see Signal Academy.'

I stood there in a moment of reverie, until I was knocked about by another passenger making retching sounds on his way to the toilet. I watched him as he continued on, and noticed he was staggering about slightly. It looked like he was airsick. Much as I love flying, I know it doesn't agree with everyone.

"Oh, Yang, gross! You have puke on your shoe!" I heard the same voice from earlier yell out. I looked over, and the tall blonde, Yang, did indeed have vomit on her shoe.

I smiled and laughed quietly, making sure I was facing away, when they started freaking out at the vomit speckled shoe.

A few minutes later, the orni-shuttle settled to dock alongside the grounds of Beacon, and I heard someone racing to the door. I noticed that it was the same boy who got airsick, earlier.

I stepped out of the orni-shuttle, and took in my first proper view of Beacon Academy. Truly, I had to admit that it was a grand, magnificent structure. Appraising all points that I could see, and resolving to explore the grounds further when I had the opportunity, I walked along with the crowd, to what I presumed was the main entrance.

It was scarcely two minutes later when I heard an explosion go off back by the shuttle. I stopped to look back and saw a pair of soot blackened figures, and the shorter of which actually looked rather nervous, judging by the way she was poking her fingers together. After a few seconds passed by, and it became apparent that neither of the two was truly harmed, I turned around once more to proceed into the school.

As I walked through the main doors, I wished that actually had friends going into Beacon. I felt lonely at that moment. Yet, in keeping with own perception of self, I simply maintained an impassive expression, and continued into the main hall proper.

I wandered about as people filed into the main hall, and wound up being by the entrance once again when the doors were closed nearly an hour later. I assumed this meant that everyone needed was here, so I turned my attention to the raised platform at the back of the large room.

Headmaster Ozpin stepped out onto the stage and coughed slightly into the microphone, quickly gaining the attention of all the students gathered in the main hall. "I'll…keep this brief," he said, adjusting his glasses by the bridge. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But, I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose…direction." My mood soured at his statement, and I frowned slightly. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

I continued to frown as he stepped aside. I knew all of this already. Knowledge meant nothing alone. It had to be applied, in order to be given meaning.

My mental ranting was cut short as Ms. Goodwitch stepped up to the microphone, and announced, "You will gather in the ball room tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready." I furrowed my brow at the last statement, detecting a fair bit of a warning in the tone she gave it. "You are dismissed."

"Quite the introduction…" I muttered to myself, trailing off to avoid being seen talking to myself in public. Shaking my head, I walked out of a side door, following the tide of students to the ball room, hopefully.

Eventually, the body of students I was following did arrive at the ball room. Most people were gravitating towards certain sleeping bags, gathering a few things, and moving about to be with their friends. I found my baggage, and I quickly took stock of it, making sure everything was there. Once I was satisfied that nothing was missing, I grabbed my things and headed to the nearest locker room to change.

Many lockers were wide open, so I took my pick, and put everything in it. I grabbed some sleeping pants and a shirt, and walked to the restroom area. Once I was in a stall (I preferred that extra measure of privacy), I removed the harness that held my sword, Fenghuang, before stripping down to my underwear. First I put on my pants, a light blue with black vertical stripes, followed by my shirt, plain and black. I gathered my clothing and Fenghuang's harness and stepped out of the stall. Stopping by a mirror, I looked at myself, wondering how my time here at Beacon would change me. I saw a rather baby-faced young man, slightly fair in appearance. Impaired vision was made apparent by the glasses I wore on my face (which I adjusted by gripping the frame between my index finger and thumb, and pushing on the bridge with my middle finger once I saw that they were slightly skewed). Blue-green eyes burned with fantastic ideals, yet were tempered by knowing the truth of humanity's potential for cruelty. I loosed my hair, which had been tied into a ponytail that fell to the middle of my back. I chuckled slightly, thinking that I was probably fair enough to be mistaken for female.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" I was asked. "This is the men's room! Get out!" Closing my eyes, I rolled them under their lids, before turning to face my interrogator. He was well developed, and rather fit, but not overly muscly. Admittedly, he was a good looking young man. I quirked an eyebrow at him, questioning the validity of his demand. "The women's room is on the other side of the ball room."

"I am well aware," I said, inwardly cursing how my voice sounded. Just as androgynous as I looked, apparently. "There's this lovely phrase about assumptions, though. I think it goes something like, 'Never assume, for it only makes an ass out of you and me.'" I tilted my head as I continued looking at him. "You know, I could easily prove that I'm in the correct restroom, but I'd rather not expose myself to a stranger. Seems a bit forward for a first meeting." I paused a moment, briefly losing myself in thought before continuing with, "And I don't really want to run the risk of either of us developing inadequacy issues. That would be embarrassing."

He was flushed red, though whether it was from shock, anger or embarrassment I couldn't tell. Capitalizing on the opportunity, I made my way out, saying, "I think I'll just leave now. Nice to meet you."

On my way to the sleeping bag all my belongings were by, I noticed the tall, muscly blonde and the short redhead girls were trying to engage in conversation with a black haired girl who was trying to read a book. The black haired one was wearing a ribbon atop her head that seemed to clash sharply with her style of dress and demeanor. I swore I saw the ribbon twitch, though, which focused my attention on her even more. A few minutes passed without the twitch I thought I saw, and my focus eventually drifted back to getting to my designated sleeping bag. I noticed that almost everyone else was already lying down, trying to go to sleep. It seemed I had stopped entirely when the ribbon caught my attention.

"Dammit," I hissed under my breath once I saw who one of my nearest neighbors was. He turned to face me, and sure enough, it was the same guy who thought I was female when he first saw me.

"What's the matter?" He asked. "Worried about developing inadequacy issues?" The second question was asked with a wry smirk on his face.

"Not really, considering you're in a sleeping bag and I'm clothed. I was just hoping to not have to deal with further awkward situations tonight."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Hey, sorry for assuming you're a girl. Kinda just jumped to that one, 'cause of your hair."

He sounded sincere in his apology, so I smiled in thanks, saying, "You're not the first one. I've been getting it for years. I'm certain you won't be the last."

He laughed for a moment, before extending his hand up to me. "I'm Giovanni. Nice to meet you."

I took his hand in a firm shake. "Name's Nero."

A loud argument soon broke out, and we both turned to look. I observed the blonde and the redhead I kept noticing earlier in the day fighting rather vigorously, while a girl with white hair was storming her way over. I suspected that it was to tell them off, judging by the irate expression she was wearing, and that suspicion was confirmed by the tirade she launched into. Giovanni and I heard it clearly where we were, and so did several others, considering they were rustling about in their sleeping bags to glare at the ranting girl. The redhead and the blonde soon countered, but all arguing was effectively silence by the girl with black hair blowing out the candles she had been reading by.

'Thank you!' I thought, once silence had swiftly descended. It was then that I noticed the white haired girl was moving towards me. My face fell from the relief I had been feeling, to show mild horror on my part. 'Oh, son of a bitch!' I was thinking. She was my other neighbor for the night.

She must have seen me watching her, because she harshly whispered, "Try anything, and I'll make sure you regret it."

I removed my glasses to bury my face in my hands. When I pulled my hands away, I saw that she was looking at me uncomfortably intently. "Don't worry," I said, hoping to placate her. "I'm a bit too interested in sleep at the moment," I added sarcastically. "So, unless you have another rant you need to voice, goodnight."

She glared at me for a moment, before huffing in distaste and turning over to look away from me.

'I just wanted a peaceful first night, really. I guess that was too much to ask.'

* * *

**A/N: Here we go. First night at Beacon. If you haven't guessed already, the main cast for the series will be periphery characters, so if you're hoping to see more of Team RWBY, then you might want to follow another fic. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Launch Sequence

"What you did was reckless. While I have to say, 'Well done,' in regards to how you handled them, I must also add that you could very well have been killed."

"A pack of a dozen beowolves isn't really that dangerous. Especially compared to people."

"And just what is it that makes you say that?" Ms. Goodwitch asked, seemingly taken aback at my apparent dismissal of danger to myself.

"The Grimm are predictable. You know they're trying to kill you. They're pretty upfront about it, too," I added, with more than a hint of snark.

"You'd rather deal with creatures trying to kill you all the time than other people?" She asked, rather sardonically.

"Hey, I know how to deal with the Grimm. Kill them before they kill you. Not always easy to do, but it's a simple, easy to understand concept."

"A simple concept, yes, but don't you think that this approach to life is being rather wasteful of it?" I turned in my seat to face the new member of the conversation, and found myself looking at Professor Ozpin carrying a plate of cookies. I tilted my head to the side at this sight, having trouble matching the renowned Headmaster of Beacon Academy with cookies. I took a moment to process that before simply shrugging and accepting it, almost frowning as I did so.

I gathered my thoughts for a second before answering the professor's question. "I can see how you think that, but really, I don't have much of a life to live here. Not trying to be a death seeker or anything like that, but I figure I can help the people here by chasing Grimm every now and then. Not like they deserve anything from me, anyway…" I took another pause, thinking on what I just said. "Huh. I guess I am wasting my time here." Ms. Goodwitch stepped out of the room, leaving the Professor and I as the only occupants.

Professor Ozpin grinned, just the faintest quirk of the corner of his lips, but he grinned ever so slightly. "And what is it that makes them so undeserving of your good deeds, Nero?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, rattled that he already knew who I was beforehand. "Considering you already know who I am, I'm sure you know why I don't think they deserve anything from me."

"You tell me in your words," he said. The Professor had complete control of the conversation now and he knew it.

I grit my teeth together. "They cast me out as a pariah, after buying the slander against my father. No one wanted anything to do with me. A lot of people were worried about protecting their kids from me. Still managed to finish up at the local school, even though I was just as much of an outcast there, too."

"Then why didn't you leave?"

I laughed bitterly at his question. "Twisted as everything here is now, I still can't help but think of it as home." Another laugh came from me. "Logically, it doesn't make sense. I know it doesn't."

"If you don't mind me changing the subject, would you happen to know anything about a call my Hunters got shortly before you were found in the middle of a group of beowolf corpses?"

That took me for a loop, until I realized just what he was asking for. "That must have been my mother. I called her before I went on this hunt. She always worries about me."

"I'd say it's warranted if you often go off chasing Grimm on your own." He looked at me for a moment before nudging the plate of cookies towards me. "Go ahead and have some." I hadn't even reached toward the plate since he came in. "I made them just last night, actually."

I looked at the Headmaster and tilted my head, evaluating him once again, trying to fit this new knowledge in somehow. "I can't say I ever pictured you as a baker," I finally said.

"Few do. I suppose that you're wondering why I'm here?" he asked. I nodded as I reached to take a cookie. "I see the potential for you to be a great Huntsman, Mr. Cadmus. I am here to offer you a scholarship to my school. You know what that means. What do you say?"

Beacon Academy? I was loath to bring my name back into favorable light by another's means, but I saw no other feasible option before me.

"Very well. I accept. Thank you."

"No, Mr. Cadmus, thank you."

* * *

I was pulled from my memory/dream by Giovanni shaking me by the shoulder. "Time to get up, Nero. Wouldn't want to be late to initiation."

I turned over and grumbled, trying to get back to sleep. I just wanted a few more minutes of…

Ow.

Bastard kicked my shin. And his boots had a steel toe, too. I sat up, cradling the bruising limb, and glared at my newest acquaintance with my eyes still half-closed from sleep. "What the hell?" I asked, words slurring due to my state. "Why'd you kick me?"

"Like I said, it's time to get up. You missed the announcement, but initiation starts in about half an hour now."

Bolting upright, I put on my glasses and gathered Fenghuang and my other belongings before racing off to the locker room. Much as I disliked public showers, I knew I had no choice in the matter if I wanted to make it to initiation on time.

Ten minutes later, I was brushing my hair out to tie it back, with my towel wrapped around my waist. I walked to the locker I claimed the night before, and pulled out a set of clothes to get into. Still brushing my hair with one hand, I slid a pair of underwear on before removing my towel. A moment later, I gathered my hair and twisted an elastic band around it a few times. Satisfied that it wouldn't come loose, I set to getting properly dressed. Once I was fully clothed, I strapped Fenghuang's harness around me and set the blade in her place.

Fenghuang was a beautiful weapon, if rather simple in her design. She was essentially a rapier with a significantly greater length than normal. Most rapiers and similar weapons are built with Dust providing an alternative to direct combat in mind. Considering that utilizing Dust at range was a skill I was sorely lacking in, I decided to forego that approach; Fenghuang was instead built to maximize melee efficiency. I only built one Dust chamber into her, capitalizing on affecting forces with white Dust.

My attire consisted of a layer of light armor underneath a light blue shirt, which was tucked into a pair of dark denim trousers. My pants hung over a pair of steel toe boots made of a tough, durable leather. The outermost article of clothing Fenghuang's harness rested on was a fitted black vest. Satisfied with how I looked, I jogged out of the locker room as soon as I heard Ms. Goodwitch's announcement to report to Beacon Cliff. Giovanni was waiting for me just outside the locker room.

"Sorry you didn't get time to have breakfast, but that might be a good thing, based on what I've heard." He jogged to match my pace, wearing an easy smile the whole time.

"And what is it you've heard?" I asked. I knew it probably had something to do with Beacon Cliff, but I wasn't thinking straight at the time. Despite the fervor with which I got myself ready, I was still lagging behind, mentally. Adrenalin can only last so long.

"I hope you don't get motion-sick easy."

"No, you're thinking of the short-haired blond guy," I interrupted, causing him to laugh a moment.

"Either way, I heard that we're being sent out into the forest. Hope you're up for the drop." He brought out his weapons and began inspecting them with a practiced eye. They were a pair of throwing axes, most noticeably, but I caught a trigger and guard inside the curves on the handles. I felt that he had a deep aura connection with them as well.

* * *

I grinned all the way to the cliff. I saw a few other students standing on stone plates and motioned for Giovanni to take the empty one to my left. There was a familiar looking girl standing to my right. Headmaster Ozpin and Ms. Goodwitch stood before us all.

Professor Ozpin gave us a short briefing. "Today marks your initiation into Beacon Academy. You will all be evaluated in the Emerald Forest today."

Ms. Goodwitch cut off on a tangent, as if on cue. "I have no doubt that you've all heard about being assigned teammates. To clear away any confusion, you will all be getting a partner, today."

"Your partner will be with you for the next four years here at Beacon. I strongly advise you to find the means to work well together." The Headmaster took a sip of his coffee before continuing, "Your partner will be the first person you make eye contact with after you land in the forest. Be sure you find a partner. Once you do, head north. Do not hesitate to remove any obstacles in your path." He took another sip. "You will be monitored throughout the exercise. However, our instructors will not interfere for any reason." He paused to let that sink in.

It hit me that we really could die out there. I was honestly terrified, yet incredibly exhilarated at the same time by that.

"Your goal is to retrieve one of many 'relics' from an ancient temple. Once you and your partner have claimed one, guard yourselves and the relic, and return here, where you will be graded. Are there any questions?"

The girl to my right raised her hand and said, "Yes, sir. What's the Pariah of Madust doing here?"

After hearing her voice, I knew why she seemed so familiar. Her name was Emilia Vermi, and she was in the same graduating class as I was back home. She was very intelligent, and usually polite. Usually.

Luckily, Professor Ozpin didn't acknowledge her question. He, unfortunately, also neglected another student with a legitimate question, saying, "Good! Get ready for launch."

I think I heard that right.

Launch proved an apt word, as Giovanni was soon catapulted out over the forest, whooping with glee. I quickly crouched somewhat to brace myself, and pushed off when I heard a click beneath me. I adopted a wide grin, enjoying the sensation of flight for a moment, before drawing Fenghuang from her harness. I looked below me for a suitable clearing, and soon began rocketing down to the ground below, utilizing Fenghuang's Dust to push off on the air behind me.

I grinned like a madman the whole way down.

* * *

**A/N: Well, Nero sure has a history. For good or for ill is yet to be seen. Probably a mix, if Emilia is any indication.  
**

**Some of the background I have based on real events. That said, they've been modified so I'm a bit more comfortable writing it.**

**I wonder if anyone can guess the team name I'm going for here.**


	3. Temple Run

I was grinning like a madman. I had just been launched off the top of Beacon Cliff less than a minute ago, and now I was rocketing down towards the ground. I held Fenghuang ready behind me, my right arm across my chest to sweep any Grimm I might happen upon during landing.

The clearing I had sighted grew closer, and I noticed a pair of Ursa watching me approach. I pushed against the air again, using Fenghuang's Dust to propel myself directly toward one of the Grimm bears. A few seconds passed, and the creature growled a moment in warning. I ignored it.

As soon as the Ursa was within reach, I swung Fenghuang, and skidded past the Grimm bear. I looked back at it to see it fall forward, the top of its skull falling off after it thudded to the ground. The second Ursa roared, charging when it saw its partner fall. I briefly wondered if I would do the same for my partner after my time here at Beacon, before I got moving. I backpedaled a few steps to give myself more time, and dashed to the side to avoid the beast's charge. As it turned about, I heard a gunshot, and saw a hole appear in the Ursa's flank.

I sprinted for the trees, hearing another shot that thudded into the Grimm now behind me. I knew that sound, having heard it on the firing range back home.

Unfortunately, the owner of that great-rifle was to be my partner for the next few years, as she and I made eye contact a few minutes after I made my way into the trees. "Hello, Emilia."

"Nero." This was going to be a wonderful day, I could tell. "Let's just go." She started walking north, as she sighed in resignation.

"Any reason you had to ask the Headmaster about why I was here? Seems a bit," I paused, trying to think of the right word.

"Sensible," she cut in. "You are the Pariah of Madust, after all."

"A title and reputation which is wholly undeserved, I might add." I took a deep breath to calm myself. "If you would look at things logically, you'd see that my father was slandered. You are a smart young woman. Use that brain in your head."

"Don't you dare patronize me, Nero," she growled, gripping the handle of her great-rifle over her shoulder. "That girl was traumatized—"

"She was acting!" I interrupted. "Her entire story was made up! And between when she 'came forward' and the trial, it changed!"

"She was obviously scared, Nero! How can you defend him, knowing what he did to her?" She was getting angry, now. More than she usually was around me.

"I can defend him because I know he didn't do that to her. Her entire story was a lie." I reined in my anger over the issue, and kept my voice calm and level.

"Who's lying about what now?" Hello, Giovanni. "It was pretty easy to find you two, considering you were both kinda shouting. I'm surprised—"

"Don't finish that sentence, Giovanni. That would just be tempting fate." Not that I particularly believed in fate, but some things are better off just not being said.

"To answer your question, Giovanni, Nero is claiming that the girl his father traumatized made up the whole story." Her answer was delivered in a manner that fully conveyed how preposterous she thought that idea. "That's not something that people just make up," she said to me, as if teaching a simple concept to a small chile.

Giovanni turned to me, asking, "Your last name is Cadmus, isn't it?" I nodded in answer, preparing myself for new judgement. "And now this makes a whole lot more sense. Way I figure, you're you, not your dad."

"Heh. Thanks, I guess," I said nervously, rubbing the back of my neck. "Not really use to that."

"How can you trust him?" Emilia practically shrieked. "He's defending a child molester!"

"Look, how about we just drop this and keep moving," I suggested. "I'm tired of talking about this, and it's only going to piss me off."

"Sure. How about you introduce me to your partner?" Giovanni asked, obviously curious about my old classmate.

"I can introduce myself," she said, pushing past me to do just that when I opened my mouth. "I'm Emilia Vermi." She extended her hand for a shake, which Giovanni accepted, bowing over it slightly, as well. "Top student in last year's graduating class from Madust."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Vermi. My name is Giovanni Qil. Can't say I was the top student where I'm from, but well done to you on your hard work." I couldn't tell if he was just flattering her or truly complimenting her, but I was grateful for how the tension around us lessened greatly.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Qil. Thank you for your kind words."

I rolled my eyes, cutting in to the introduction. "It's not like getting top of the class was that difficult. Most of your competition were either idiots or didn't care enough to really strive for that position, like me." The tension in the air rocketed right back up again. I should have just stayed quiet.

"Are you implying something, Nero?" Emilia asked, growling the question.

"Other than that you're noticeably intelligent and hard-working, no. Just stating the truth, really." It really was, too. I wouldn't be surprised to hear of several of my old classmates overdosing or running afoul of a few Grimm. Or both.

Emilia glared at me for a moment before simply looking forward and walking along.

"Real smooth talking, Nero," Giovanni commented. "Couldn't have downplayed her achievement much more, could you?"

"Unfortunately, he's right, on this at least. It really wasn't that difficult."

"I'm pretty sure I could have taken the spot if I really wanted to. I was in the running for it up until the end of junior year." That was about the time that the trial happened. Luckily, Emilia decided to exercise enough tact to not explicitly bring that fact into light. We all knew it, anyway. "I pretty much stopped caring about almost everything back then, but depression can kinda do that to you."

Giovanni started walking off in another direction at this point. I had a feeling the conversation was starting to make him uncomfortable. He waved over his shoulder, calling back to us, "I'm gonna go find my partner, now, whoever that is. Catch you later, Nero. Nice meeting you, Emilia."

"Likewise, Giovanni," Emilia answered. She then started walking north again, taking a deep breath as she did so. After a few seconds, she spoke to me. "Much as I don't like having to work with you, Headmaster Ozpin's right. As it is, we're partners for the next few years."

"True," I said. "I have to admit, part of the draw for coming here was to get away from it all back home. Looks like I wasn't very successful with that." It was the usual level of success most of my plans had, considering my luck throughout life.

She huffed, seemingly in agreement. "Let's just keep this partnership professional. Think you can handle that?"

"Easy. I wasn't planning on any other way to do it, either," I replied, only just keeping a scathing tone out of my voice. I sighed, forcing myself to calm down. "I'll move on ahead. That way I run into anything in our path first, and you get a bit of extra time to set up your great-rifle for fire support."

"Who made you leader of this pair?" she asked, seemingly affronted at me taking charge.

"It's not about being leader. It's about not crippling ourselves in combat. If we both try to fight exclusively at close range, we might as well sign our own death certificates if we run into a Nevermore. I don't have a long-range option. You do," I said, keeping as calm and level as I could. "You might not like it, but the best way for us to function together right now is with you acting as fire support."

She sighed, before admitting, "I see your point." She gripped the handle and brought her weapon over her shoulder. "Just so you know, his name is Tian," she said, patting the rifle she now cradled in her arms.

"I'll remember that. A handsome weapon," I complimented. "My beauty's named Fenghuang," I said, drawing her from her harness. "I'll stop and wait for you to catch up once I have the temple in sight. I'll wave you up to me. Until then, just keep me in sight."

"Got it," she growled, resenting me giving orders, it seemed.

After nodding in acknowledgement, I dashed north once more, keeping a pace that would be easy to keep up with.

I had a feeling Emilia would alternate between being immensely helpful and outright contrary with me over the next few years. Then again, that wasn't much of a change from before everything with my dad happened anyway, except she was a bit more outright hostile now.

I suppose some behaviors never die off.

I humongous shadow passed, and I quickly looked up. 'This is more than a little problematic,' I thought to myself as I dropped to a crouch. I held up my left hand in a closed fist, hoping Emilia would notice my signal and stop. A giant Nevermore was the last thing I wanted to fight right now.

Slowly, I raised a couple of fingers and motioned for her to move up to me. She drew up close, and crouched beside me, whispering, "I hope you're not planning on taking on that Nevermore."

I turned my head to look at her incredulously. "No," I whispered back. "That would be stupid. I like to think neither of us is that stupid." I pinched the bridge of my nose, and carefully set my glasses back in place after moving my hand away. "All right. I'll take point again."

I started north once more, eventually coming to an old trail heading east and west. I turned east, and came across the sight of what looked like an ancient amphitheater. I noticed several pedestals with gleaming objects atop them. I crouched and waved Emilia forward again.

Her eyes widened as she took in the sight before us. Then she took in how open it was. "I'll keep overwatch. Hurry in there, grab an artifact, and get back fast. I don't know if that Nevermore's still up above us, and I don't want to become its next meal." I took a moment to take it all in, until she hissed, "Go!"

I bolted, channeling my aura to help me move faster. In seconds, I was in the middle of the pedestals, taking in what the artifacts were; chess pieces. I grabbed a black knight, and sprinted back to Emilia, showing her the artifact when I arrived.

"A black knight? Is that how you see yourself?" she mocked.

"In a sense. Black is usually more reactionary in chess, due to having the second move. In addition, knights are pieces that cannot independently checkmate a king. They have to rely on others to be effective."

"And here I thought you were more the independent type." More mocking, but something else underneath it, too.

Weird.

I decided to ignore what she said, and thought of getting back to the cliff. "Now that we have the artifact, we just need to get back to the cliff alive. Let's hurry, and not waste any time with any Grimm along the way."

"I agree. The sooner we're out of this forest, the better." I was pretty sure she was referring to possibly running into the Nevermore, or something else entirely. A Beowolf pack led by an alpha and mother would also be more than a little problematic.

* * *

Fortunately, we made it to the cliff without incident, only detouring once to get around a cave that was probably a Deathstalker's den.

"I don't want to seem presumptuous, but I think we make a good team," I said once we reached the base of the cliff.

"Hmph. Perhaps we do."

* * *

**A/N: Like any writer always asks, feedback, please! Let me know what I'm doing right, and what I need to do better. Also, I like knowing what people's favorite parts are, too.**


	4. Formation

At the top of the cliff, we were told that we'd be informed of our team assignments before lights out that night, and we would be expected at the team christening ceremony the following morning. The ball room would be our sleeping quarters once more that night.

Emilia and I took a rather leisurely walk back, considering we essentially sprinted back to the cliff from the temple. The majority of the trip was spent in silence. Thankfully, it was something mutual, as neither of us were showing any indication of talking.

The silence was broken by a pair of footsteps running up behind us. I heard a second pair trailing a fair ways behind as Giovanni slowed to match my pace beside me.

"How's it going, Nero? Emilia? Getting along now?"

"As well as we can, I suppose," I said in answer to his last question. "I'd say I'm doing fairly well, considering we practically sprinted back to the cliff after getting our artifact."

"About the same," Emilia said.

"Cool." A young woman with platinum colored hair caught up to us, looking at Giovanni with irritation. "Oh, sorry," Giovanni said, realizing he practically abandoned her to race up to Emilia and me. "Nero, Emilia, this is my partner, Phoenyx Kun." Her gaze softened as she waved in greeting. "Phoenyx, I'd like you to meet Emilia Vermi and Nero."

She looked across at me, eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion. "No last name?" she asked. I guessed she was normally soft-spoken, due to how quiet her question was. Giovanni looked uncomfortable as she asked.

My lips twitched into a frown a couple times, but I still didn't say anything. Emilia apparently took this as her cue to cut in. "His full name is Nero Cadmus. Better known as the Pariah of Madust."

I truly hated that title. Sighing, I bowed my head and looking away from Phoenyx, until I heard her say, "While caution is wise, the son is not the father." I raised my head slightly, glancing over toward her. "In addition, his loyalty to his father is admirable, if possibly misplaced."

"…" I tried to think of something to say. That was better than what I got back home, for sure, but I didn't quite know what to make of it. On the one hand, I didn't like that she thought it possible my father was guilty, but on the other she wasn't outright dismissing that he could be innocent, either. I finally settled with saying, "Thanks, Phoenyx."

I really admired how impartial she was able to be regarding me. She said outright that she would be cautious, but she didn't do anything to suggest that she bought into my status as a pariah, either. I was wholly unaccustomed to that type of marginal acceptance, never mind that Giovanni had blown off the pariah status I had when he learned who I was.

Apparently I had gotten lost in my head as I kept going, because when I next looked at everyone, Emilia was red with anger, Giovanni was looking anywhere but at her, and Phoenyx had an air of serenity about her.

"I am completely missing something here."

After a moment, Giovanni laughed uproariously, and that was the last any one of us said on the way back to the ball room. Emilia remained red the whole way back.

* * *

It was fairly late when we made it back, so I headed to the locker room to change into my sleeping pants. I didn't want to have too much dirty laundry in my bags when we made our inevitable move, so I decided to forgo grabbing a shirt.

As soon as I stepped out, several pairs of eyes turned to me, lingering for a few seconds before returning to their previous focus. I wilted, with a particular feeling that I was being judged by many of them. I was certain that most of them had heard Emilia's question just before our launch into the Emerald Forest.

I made my way over to Giovanni, who was with Phoenyx by her sleeping bag. "Hey, Giovanni. Phoenyx," I greeted.

"Whoa, pretty-boy's being all daring now, going without his shirt. Careful man, I think Phoenyx might have a thing for you now," he said, elbowing me in the ribs.

I flushed a rich red and glanced at her, and she turned away slightly and blushed a deep red herself when she realized I had seen her staring at me. 'Damn you, Giovanni,' I thought, shoving him sideways. He merely laughed at our expense, completely unfazed by my action.

I looked at Phoenyx again, having cooled down significantly, and took in her appearance. For many she would just be an average young woman. However, due to her non-hostile reception of me, I already viewed her favorably.

Acceptance, even on the basest of levels, was something I had been craving for some time. That she had given it to me was something I couldn't forget. "Hey, Phoenyx?" I said, catching her attention as she faced me again. "Thanks for not just brushing me off as 'the Pariah' earlier."

"Hey, what am I?" Giovanni asked, indignant that I didn't include him.

She smiled and huffed a small laugh. "You already thanked me earlier."

I flushed once more and rubbed the back of my neck, looking away from her for a moment. "Ah… Yeah, I suppose I did. Heh." I was feeling distinctly awkward, and Giovanni was looking far too jovial for my comfort. "I'll catch up to the two of you later. Have a good night." I turned and headed back to the locker room, now feeling far too restless to sleep.

I grabbed one of my books that I had brought with me, and walked back out into the ball room. I noticed it was getting too dark to read out on the main floor, but I did notice that the same black-haired girl who had been reading the night before was once again set with candles by a wall.

I made my way over, asking, "Mind if I read here?" when I was opposite the candles from her.

I swore I saw her bow twitch.

She looked up at me, taking a moment before saying, "Go ahead."

"Thanks." She nodded in acknowledgement. I didn't open my book yet, instead looking at her book, and asking, "What book are you reading?"

"It's about a man with his mind and soul broken in two, with each half fighting for control." She paused a moment, before continuing. "It doesn't end well for him," she said almost cryptically.

"I imagine it's a story you enjoy, then, if you already know the ending?" At this, I leafed through my book until I found the last page I had been on.

"Tragic as the story is, it's one of my favorites," she said, setting her book down. "What about your book?"

"One of my favorites. It follows a noble family as they leave their home for a new world, having had the fortune to be selected as the next House to govern a highly coveted desert world." At her raised eyebrows concerning my summary thus far, I grinned. "The world truly is nothing but desert, save for the rare oasis. However, despite being a nearly inhospitable wasteland, it is also the only planet where the most valuable substance in the galaxy can be found. This substance is so valuable not only because of the hazardous planet it's found on, but because it lengthens the life of any who use it, and also grants precognitive abilities, as well. However, it is a highly addictive substance, and withdrawals are fatal."

"That sounds like a very interesting story. You must really enjoy it to know it so well."

"Yeah. I would never have even heard about it without my dad," I said, my voice lowering almost to a whisper by the end of my sentence. "I just realized, I never did ask for your name." My voice was back to its normal tone.

"Hey, Blake, who's this?" A tall, blonde young woman (who I recognized from two days prior) had come over by us, seemingly to socialize with the dark-haired bibliophile, who I had just learned was named Blake.

Blake looked at me, expecting me to introduce myself. "I'm Nero," I told the blonde girl, waving slightly. "Nice to meet you. You are?" I questioned, extending my hand for a shake.

She looked at me strangely, as if I had forgotten something incredibly obvious. I hadn't forgotten. "What, you don't have a last name?" That was quickly becoming a trend with my introductions, I noticed. Blake was also looking at me, and I soon felt very uneasy being under their combined gaze.

"Don't judge me. Please." My voice was a hoarse whisper, and I inwardly cursed how pathetic I must have sounded.

"Why would we judge you?" Blake questioned, with her eyebrow quirked to match.

"Most people do, when they learn who I am." My lips twitched into a frown for a moment, before I made them stay smooth, trying to keep a façade of calm. I knew it wasn't working. My lips would keep twitching no matter how hard I tried to make them stop.

"Hey, how bad could it be?" the blonde girl asked, her tone trying to be uplifting.

I smiled, but it was a bitter smile. I made no effort at disguising that. "It's pretty bad, for most people." I took a moment to collect myself, then stood up. "My full name's Nero Cadmus." I then walked away, heading to my sleeping bag to try resting, at the least.

Yang. I remembered that was the blonde's name as I got to my bag. I looked over at her and Blake for a moment, and saw them looking right back at me. Yang wasn't quite glaring, but it was a hard look she was giving me. I didn't quite know what to make of it, but I felt the safe assessment was that she recognized my name for the Pariah of Madust.

I saw pity, from Blake. Somehow, I hated that even more than the usual reaction most people gave me.

I was about to lie down for the night, when I heard people's names being called out in groups of four from one of the entryways. I looked that way, and saw Ms. Goodwitch and the Headmaster in the doorway, the former holding a tablet in front of her. I had almost forgotten that we were told we'd be informed of team assignments tonight.

Eventually, Ozpin called out, "Nero Cadmus, Phoenyx Kun, Giovanni Qil, and Emilia Vermi."

I got up and made my way to them, but my mind was spiraling the whole time on my way over. The entire student body of first year knew who I was now. Then I remembered the ceremony tomorrow, where the whole academy would find out.

I forced myself to focus as I drew near the Headmaster and Ms. Goodwitch. Ozpin told us. "Be in the main hall by nine tomorrow morning. The ceremony will begin at ten. After the ceremony, you will return here, collect your belongings, and move to the first-year dormitories. Any questions?" A moment passed. "Good. I suggest you all try to get to sleep now. It's going to be a big day tomorrow."

When I was walking back to my sleeping bag, I swore I could feel everyone's eyes on me the whole way. I felt completely exposed, knowing that who I was had just become public knowledge once more, and it would be spread further the following morning.

I didn't cry, having forced myself not to, but my breath quickly became very shaky, and I was struggling to stay in control. I couldn't, and soon my whole body was shaking, fearing and anticipating the harsh judgment I _knew_ was awaiting me. I all but collapsed onto my sleeping bag when I arrived there, barely managing to slip inside to try and rest.

A hand rested on my shoulder, and I jerked to turn around and get it off. Giovanni was looking at me with a quirked eybrow. "Nero."

Taking a deep breath, I managed to stop shaking all over, knowing I still had at least one friend. "Yeah?"

"Chill out. Like I said before, you're not your father, whether he's innocent or not. Nor will you ever be. Anyone who's judging you right now, because of your father? Not worth thinking about. Now go to sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow, and I don't want to have to wake you up for the ceremony." Giovanni then flopped over, and was soon fast asleep.

Turning onto my back, I tried the same, but with significantly less success. Uplifting as his words were, I still had enough adrenalin running through me to keep me awake.

Several more names were called while I tried to sleep. I eventually looked, and Ozpin and Ms. Goodwitch were no longer in the doorway, but my other neighbor was on her way over. I realized I knew who she was, somehow.

It finally clicked as she tucked herself into her sleeping bag, glaring at me the whole while. I had been watching her yet again, it seemed. Just before she was about to speak, I quickly said, "You're Weiss Schnee."

Her glare turned into a condescendingly cocked eyebrow. "Glad for the recognition. Any other obvious statements you want to make?"

"I enjoyed your performance of 'Mirror Mirror.' Beautifully done."

My simple statement seemed to have caught her off guard, as her expression quickly changed to one of mild confusion, before she simply said, "Thank you."

"Of course," I replied, turning onto my front to try sleeping that way. I yawned, adrenalin finally wearing off and leaving me all the more tired for it. "'Night."

Thankfully, sleep swiftly came this time.

* * *

The main hall was completely filled with students and staff. Considering my dislike of large crowds, I was uncomfortable being in the middle of that alone. That I would be going on stage for the team christening ceremony, with my name announced for the entire school to hear, with a portrait photo being displayed as well only made my unease worse.

Ozpin recited the names of each member of the new teams, followed by the 'relic' they retrieved from the temple in the Emerald Forest, and concluded by naming the leader of the newly formed team. I had resolved to not get lost in my head this time. Instead, I would watch how the people around me reacted, before doing anything regarding everyone knowing my name.

Finally, our moment came. "Nero Cadmus, Phoenyx Kun, Emilia Vermi, and Giovanni Qil. The four of you chose the black knight pieces. From this day forward you shall work together as Team PENG; led by Phoenyx Kun."

Applause broke out through the crowd, as it did for every team before, yet I strained to hear whispers of my name. Ozpin must have noticed how tense I was, because he quietly said to me, "He would be proud, Mr. Cadmus," as I walked off the stage. My mind stuck on that, and I realized the Headmaster was right. My father would be proud.

After Team CRDL was christened, I saw a vaguely familiar mop of blonde hair on the monitor, moments later recognizing him as the young man who had vomited on the orni-shuttle. Jaune Arc was his name, and he was named leader of Team JNPR. One of his teammates, Pyrrha Nikos, sent him stumbling embarrassingly with a friendly punch to the shoulder.

After that display, I was very curious as to how he was named team leader.

I recognized all of the last four to go on stage, with Ruby Rose being the only name I didn't have before. They had retrieved the white knight pieces, which I thought was a curious coincidence. Team RWBY was then christened, with Ruby being designated their leader. As I noticed back on the orni-shuttle, she was much smaller than her other teammates, particularly Yang, who crushed the red-clad girl in a powerful hug mere moments after she was named leader.

I took a deep breath, and looked up at the ceiling, thankful that I had made it through the ceremony without descending into a mental spiral. Professor Ozpin's closing words left me feeling a good sense of wonder and anticipation.

Interesting times were indeed ahead.

* * *

**A/N: I did not have Team PENG choose the black knight pieces to reflect Team RWBY. That really was coincidence.  
**

**Mass Effect's Spectre Induction theme was playing through my head as I typed up the team christening ceremony. Anyone else get the feeling that song would be remarkably fitting for that scene?**

**Nero has issues with getting close to people once they know his full name. He's gotten use to being judged to the point that he expects it.**

**Hope everyone's enjoying the story so far!**


	5. Moving In

**Sorry for the delay. Took a bit to find the motivation to keep writing again.**

* * *

We only had one room for the whole team. I thought that would be more than a little problematic, considering who my partner was. I was swiftly proven right as my partner practically shrieked with indignation while I was less than two metres away from her. "Gyah!" was my eloquent response to her shriek. In addition, I jumped in surprise, not expected the loud piercing sound that nearly shattered my eardrums, and stumbled sideways, landing in a heap with all my luggage piled atop me.

Giovanni walked in and laughed at me once he saw my state. I grumbled and growled in response before shoving everything off of me and slowly standing back up. "Did you have to scream in my ear?" I asked, more than a trace of sarcasm in my voice.

"Well, excuse me for not wanting you sleeping in the same room as me!" Emilia answered, offended by that idea.

"Well, I can't say I'm all that thrilled, either. Not much changing space here. Doesn't look like there's a bathroom, either." The room was fairly plain, only containing four beds, two small closets that were more indents in the wall, two dressers opposite a pair of beds on each side, and a large window with a curtain opposite the door. "Speaking of bathrooms, I'm going to try and find one, now," I said, walking back out the door.

'I'll need to find a locker room, too, for Fenghuang,' I thought as I walked back into the passageway. 'Hopefully they're close together.'

It was at the end of the hallway that I found a locker room, unmarked otherwise. I walked in to find many other first year students, of both genders, stowing weapons and other belongings in lockers that had notes with our names posted over the numbers. I quickly found the locker assigned to me, and dialed the combination on the back of the note with my name on it. My locker opened, and I stowed what I could within. I wandered further into the locker room, finding that toilet and shower areas were divided between male and female students.

After relieving myself and washing my hands, I was about to walk back to the room when I was cut off by a rather broad young man. "I'm pretty sure you're in the wrong section, girly," he said.

I looked up, and identified him as Cardin Winchester. Then, I sighed, unimpressed with the show of forced masculinity he was putting forth, puffing out his chest with his fists resting on his hips with a wide stance. Inwardly cursing my voice, I replied, "Well, if that's the case, I'm pretty sure you're in the wrong section, too. Make of that what you will." I quickly stepped past him, taking advantage of how wide the archway leading to the toilets was.

Unfortunately, the rest of Cardin's team was also there, and I was soon the center of their attention. I knew cowering would only egg them on, so I tried caustic wit, mocking them with, "Four on one… How brave and noble of you all."

This only had the effect of egging them on, with one growling out the question, "You calling us cowards, girly?" He accompanied the question with a rough shove into a nearby wall, where they moved to surround me.

I was feeling particularly hard-headed and stubborn in addition to my usual policy of honesty, so I simply answered with a condescending, "Yeah," as if it was the most apparent thing about them.

My cheek earned retaliation in the form of being shoved up against the wall with Cardin getting uncomfortably close. Little room to move was something that never particularly bothered me, but being restrained was something I did not enjoy. I hated not being in control. Thus, I started panicking slightly, and my eyes widened while my breathing grew short and shallow. Cardin noticed this, and sported a malevolent grin. "All out of witty comebacks now, aren't you?"

I struggled to control my breathing, and fought to turn my panic into a glare at Cardin. He simply laughed at me, before dropping me and saying, "Get out of my sight. I'm done with you for now." He stepped aside, and I stalked away, scowling at my humiliation.

Much as our first meeting led me to despising Cardin, I hated myself for it, too. Other than a few words, I hadn't even stood up for myself. Never mind that I was outnumbered and cornered. I noticed a few people looking at me as I made my way back to the team's room, but I ignored them. It wasn't really worth making a scene of it; I was used to getting stares back home, anyway.

A hand on my shoulder gave me pause when I stopped at the door with my key in hand. I turned around, coming face to face with Phoenyx. "What's wrong?" She looked worried and mildly irritated. I guessed she had been trying to catch my attention for some time.

So intent was I on ignoring everyone's stares, I hadn't even noticed she was among the crowd. I felt foolish at my actions now, as well as rude for ignoring my team leader. "Sorry, Phoenyx," I said, genuinely apologetic. She had sounded truly concerned, on a professional level. I explained my actions, telling her, "I got lost in my head a bit. Don't worry, it's nothing I can't handle."

Even to my own ears, it sounded hollow.

"I'm sure..." she said, making her doubt obvious by the way she trailed off. Suddenly pinning me with a commanding glare, she asked, "Properly?"

That was the question, I realized. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and get back under control. Deciding blunt honesty would be best, I answered, "I can't say I know for sure. I want to say yes, but…" I railed off, not knowing how to finish that statement.

"Like you said." She took a moment before reminding me, "We're a team, Nero." I thought for a moment, and realized she was right. I knew it would take time for me to adjust, but I smiled and nodded in thanks. "I'm going to get dinner now. Come if you want." She then walked off, leaving me at the door.

Sulking and trying to ignore the world like I had been planning wouldn't do me any good, I realized, so I put my key back in my pocket and started after her, calling ahead, "Wait up, Phoenyx!" Her pace slowed enough for me to catch up to her, and I thanked her for it as I fell in beside her.

We walked along in silence, and I found myself noting several objects about Beacon. More often than not I noted paintings or statues that I could use as landmarks for navigating the school. The most impressive thing we passed by was easily the statue of Jones Arc (first name pronounce Jo-en-es, strangely enough).

The statue was rather simple, and instead of showing the hero facing off against the Grimm or some other heroic action, it instead portrayed him as a strong leader, capable of earning the trust of his men. Jones Arc stood at the top of an outcropping, surveying all before him, standing ever vigilant over the entrance of Beacon Academy.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Phoenyx asked me. I must have been staring.

"In a very simplistic sense, yes," I replied. "It's not dramatic, or even particularly heroic, but that only makes it more effective, really. It shows that Jones was still another man."

She hummed in acknowledgement as her response. "Good assessment." She started walking again, and I soon stepped to follow, falling in alongside her.

As we arrived at the cafeteria, it suddenly clicked for me. "This isn't just dinner, is it?" Her response was a knowing smile, as if she was waiting for me to continue. "You're planning on doing this with the other members of our team; get to know us, learn about us, and find the role we're best suited for." She nodded, looking pleased with my evaluation.

"Good." I opened the door and she stepped through; I was through shortly afterward.

* * *

We got our food and sat down, before Pheonyx asked me, "What are you good at?"

I smiled. "Right to it, huh?" A simple nod was my answer. "I'm fast, and so's Fenghuang. I like thinking, and I'd say I'm at least decent with strategy."

"Anything else?"

Reluctantly, I added, "Well, I'm a pretty good shot with a rifle, if I say so myself. Just don't have one."

That caught her interest, I noticed, as she furrowed her brow a moment before looking at me. "Why not?"

"Going to the shooting range with my dad used to be one of my favorite things to do with him. Doesn't feel right anymore, to be honest."

I looked at her. "Sorry," she said, confirming my suspicion that she was apologetic for having brought up the issue of my father.

"Sorry to cut things short, but how about we just eat and head back to the room? I'm not feeling up to much conversation anymore…" I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling awkward now. "Sorry…"

She huffed a short laugh, telling me, "No need. You're right. Let's just eat and go."

I smiled. I couldn't remember ever hearing her say that much at one time before.

* * *

**A/N: Can't really say a whole lot happens here, but sometimes filler is necessary. Not only that, but this isn't about some guy who's special and destined to save the world or anything like that.  
**

**I'm sure some of you have noticed that Nero isn't the most consistent character. That's because he's not supposed to be. He's not emotionally stable because of what happened with his father. We'll see more about that later.**


End file.
